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This show has an intelligent plot, a proven-to-work exciting setting, is full of character, has atmospheric animation and is overall a great change to the ordinary overused everything-i-just-mentioned.

All of it's flaws that i can come up with could easily be 'fixed' with a little more budget (holds true to many anime, but some anime are just plain dumb no matter how much cash you throw at it).

Some people might compare this with SAO or the like, which makes sense since they could be grouped into the same 'niche' genre, but i have seen some people call this rip-off that and that... which makes about as ... much sense as saying that all spy movies are rip-off of James Bond (mind you, James Bond was not the first of it's kind, neither was SAO).

This show is close to being a masterpiece, i have a hard time putting my finger on exactly what it is that keeps it from a 10, the conclusion of the series wasen't really a conclusion at all, overall in general it's hard to give something 10 that hasen't finished. A season 2 would be much appreciated.

Alot of people seem to bash this series for a number of invalid reasons, mainly because they expect things that the show never promised to provide. In order to cookie cut it for the people that don't have the brain capacity to read the genres of the series i will now list them personally for you:

When you watch this series you can expect:

THIS:
1. Romance
2. Comedy
3. Shoujo.... yep oh wait? girls? das right people, this series demographics are not aimed to make your wittle willy hard.

NOT THIS:
... 1. Drama
2. Boobs
3. Action of ANY kind.
4. Fantasy of ANY kind.
5. Slice of Life (yep its not a slice of life and is therefore not bound by any of that genres characteristics)
6. School (same as slive of life)
7. Practically anything that isen't Comedic or Romantic.

Now that is a very broad spectrum, but how can any sane individual criticise ANYTHING for something they we're NOT promised? I mean, yep i would be kinda pissed if wateched the new Star Wars movie and it didn't contain dope ass lightsaber fights, but i would'nt criticize it for not including a romance or gollum from LOTR (hint: because that was never promised to begin with).

So, all this aside... it's pretty good, made me feel good and made me laugh.

It can be lacking in plot and at times is a little slow, but i'm a dude so what do i know, there could be a ton of "hints" in there that i didn't catch... like i never do with the ladies but whatevs.

I give it a 9, because it was great, although still far from a masterpiece.

Plastic Memories is good, but not a masterpiece. I see this particular anime as a creative and exploritative experiment by the studio that created it, as it seems to be kind of daring in it's style and formular. Which is a good thing, and also why its a little higher than what it maybe should be. It does alot of things right, but also falls short on a few things that maybe could have been given more thought to.

Story: 8
The story is outright predictable, almost from the get go. From episode 2 and onwards you will not be surprised. However, that is in fact, not ... a bad thing. This is the very first time i have ever experienced a story, which only becomes better, because of its predictability. Although this does sacrifice the element of surprise, it is still a new thing which i cannot with good conscience condemn. The story is simple in nature, there is not alot of mechanics going on, or things to keep tap on which is also a good thing, when dealing with romance. The thing about romantic stories, is that the more complex they become, the harder it becomes to relate yourself with it. It is only when you are able to relate to a romantic story, that you can actually become touched by it.

Art: 7
The art serves its purpose. It is not top of the line, neither is it bad. Keep in mind, this is animation meant for a romantic story, not Attack on Titan.

Sound: 6
Nothing in particular to notify about here. The sound is fair in nature, not eargasmic and not intrusive.

Character: 8
The main characters really shine in this anime, they are believable and actually competent (fairly rare for main characters to be). The supportive characters on the other hand, are fairly lacking. I however blame the amount of screen time they are given, and will not punish this too much, since it really is the main characters that are supposed to be in the spotlight. On top of it, the backstory of some the side characters is less believable in my opinion.

Enjoyment: 10
i enjoyed myself thoroughly, this was a new take on how to do love stories. I did however not cry, but that did not make things any less sad nor any less joyful. If you are in the mood of a good love story, that is competent and believable in the grand scale of things, then this is for you.

Overall: 7,8 ==> 8 (Very Good)

(Spoilerless Review)
as a reviewer i have chosen not to review Clannad alone, but together with Clannad: AS as i believe that you can't really judge the two without having watched the other one.
- The Review -
so exactly what makes Clannad such a masterpiece? I don't really know myself, but i sure do know that it just is. It has Slice of Life written all over it and is indeed nicely done intro to a far superior romantic S2. For comedy, it has its moments, and those moments surely are hilarious, yet it still sticks to its everyday life of a high-school student theme(later everyday life ... of a normal guy). If you decide to watch Clannad, be prepared for anything, don't spoil it for yourself by reading the spoilers of season 2, it will just ruin it for you, however you must watch season 2 in order to receive the true feeling of Clannad, as that is were the climaxes will be and were the feely feels will be present. Clannad S1 is simply the introduction and the follow-up to S2.
- Ratings -
Story: 9
The story of Clannad is simple, yet a little complicated. I won't spoil anything, so i will just leave it at that. At very few times you will be left a little clueless of what was actually going on (the robot and girl part). Yet you will understand or interpret it your own way with time. Which is another reason why the story is so great. Despite the very few flaws, of which you might not even notice, the story is truly great and original yet unique in its own way.

Art: 10
at the beginning i was a little skeptical of the art of Clannad, yet with time i came to accept that it simply could'nt have been illustrated in any better way than it already was. The eyes of the characters are very unique, which they also are with other Key productions.

Sound: 9
The music of Clannad S1 and S2 is simply breathtaking. I still occasionally listen to the OST as it simply is beatiful. The Dango song at the end of S1 is silly at start but a true tearjerker once you have seen both S1 and S2. I also song along with the characters at various times in the anime. However the ending song of S2 was kind of out of context, and should be different.

Characters: 10
The characters is one of the things that really gives this show spirit and soul. It is the characters that will make me rewatch this anime someday, as i simply am too attached to them. They will live on in my heart forever.

Enjoyment: 10
Clannad was something i wasn't prepared for. It touched me in ways nothing else has done before. I have never cried so much in my life before over something so small as an anime. I usually don't cry over tv shows or fictional stories, neither do i cry when i see disasters on the news. But Clannad was different, i was a wreck. Clannad took me somewhere inside myself i thought not existed. And i enjoyed it, i experienced something new, which seems to be rarer and rarer in life.

Overall: 10
I laughed, i cried, i felt feelings i did not know i could feel. And therefore it gets the most well deserved 10 i have ever given in my entire life and probably never will give again.

Review by MrCallaghan
02-08-2012 (no. 02)

(Spoilerless Review)
as a reviewer i have chosen not to review Clannad alone, but together with Clannad: AS as i believe that you can't really judge the two without having watched the other one.
- The Review -
so exactly what makes Clannad such a masterpiece? I don't really know myself, but i sure do know that it just is. It has Slice of Life written all over it and is indeed nicely done intro to a far superior romantic S2. For comedy, it has its moments, and those moments surely are hilarious, yet it still sticks to its everyday life of a high-school student theme(later everyday life ... of a normal guy). If you decide to watch Clannad, be prepared for anything, don't spoil it for yourself by reading the spoilers of season 2, it will just ruin it for you, however you must watch season 2 in order to receive the true feeling of Clannad, as that is were the climaxes will be and were the feely feels will be present. Clannad S1 is simply the introduction and the follow-up to S2.
- Ratings -
Story: 9
The story of Clannad is simple, yet a little complicated. I won't spoil anything, so i will just leave it at that. At very few times you will be left a little clueless of what was actually going on (the robot and girl part). Yet you will understand or interpret it your own way with time. Which is another reason why the story is so great. Despite the very few flaws, of which you might not even notice, the story is truly great and original yet unique in its own way.

Art: 10
at the beginning i was a little skeptical of the art of Clannad, yet with time i came to accept that it simply could'nt have been illustrated in any better way than it already was. The eyes of the characters are very unique, which they also are with other Key productions.

Sound: 9
The music of Clannad S1 and S2 is simply breathtaking. I still occasionally listen to the OST as it simply is beatiful. The Dango song at the end of S1 is silly at start but a true tearjerker once you have seen both S1 and S2. I also song along with the characters at various times in the anime. However the ending song of S2 was kind of out of context, and should be different.

Characters: 10
The characters is one of the things that really gives this show spirit and soul. It is the characters that will make me rewatch this anime someday, as i simply am too attached to them. They will live on in my heart forever.

Enjoyment: 10
Clannad was something i wasn't prepared for. It touched me in ways nothing else has done before. I have never cried so much in my life before over something so small as an anime. I usually don't cry over tv shows or fictional stories, neither do i cry when i see disasters on the news. But Clannad was different, i was a wreck. Clannad took me somewhere inside myself i thought not existed. And i enjoyed it, i experienced something new, which seems to be rarer and rarer in life.

Overall: 10
I laughed, i cried, i felt feelings i did not know i could feel. And therefore it gets the most well deserved 10 i have ever given in my entire life and probably never will give again.

Review by MrCallaghan
02-08-2012 (no. 01)